Residents of Yobe State have accused government officials and politicians in the state of diverting 500 bags of rice delivered by the North East Development Commission as palliative to the people.
According to them, a sub-committee of Yobe COVID-19 team shared 3000 bags of rice to commissioners and other political appointees, while the remaining 2000 bags went to friends and cronies of the officials.
“Diversion of assistance meant for the masses is not a new thing in Yobe State. It is just getting worst. In some states even if people are shortchanged at least a few masses got the palliatives, but in Yobe Government officials and their cronies divert everything. When will this end?” a resident of Potiskum, who craved anonymity, said. 
NEDC had on April 24 widely publicised presentation of the palliatives to the Yobe State Government but the palliatives were not distributed to people as it was done in other states within the region.
Yobe State deputy governor, Idi Barde Gubana, who is also Chairman of the states’s COVID-19 Prevention Committee, had assured the commission of the judicious distribution of the items to vulnerable persons. 
The State Emergency Management Authority however, said it had been distributing relief items to residents of the state long before the Coronavirus outbreak.
It said the relief items including food have been distributed across the different ways of the state.
